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NYPD Blue Writer Paints the Town Red

To reach the inner circle of producer Steve Bochco's 15th Precinct on NYPD Blue, CSU, Chico graduate Matt Olmstead went from following his dreams to following up on them. "You only get one bite at the apple," he explained about a business that's based not only on having connections, but on using them wisely.

As guest of the Writer's Voice Series on April 26, Olmstead, a College of Humanities and Fine Arts Distinguished Alumnus, treated an enthusiastic student audience to an honest look at what it takes to make it in Hollywood.

With a small nest egg and big dreams of being a script writer, Olmstead headed to Hollywood eight years ago. Six months later he'd become a pro at fitting in with the other hungry young writers on the scene. Having learned to wear black, smoke cigarettes, and go to bars, he had yet to write a saleable word.

"It was easier to talk about writing than do it," he remembered, "because I knew the goal was so far away. The fear paralyzed me."

Yet success wasn't as far off as he thought. A little hard work and perseverance, and Olm-stead landed his dream job, today working as supervising producer for the Emmy-winning police drama NYPD Blue.

To get there, Olmstead had to give up his new-found friends for a quiet apartment and a 9-to-5 job, after which he wrote nightly from 10 pm to 2 am.

A few years later he'd landed an agent, and his agent helped change his focus from feature films to television.

"My agent got me an interview with Bochco, who's one of the top guys in television," Olmstead recalled. "After 10 minutes Bochco says, 'Okay, you want to try an episode?'"

Words every writer longs to hear. And having gained admission to the show, Olmstead avoided the typical beginner's bent to act pretentious, and kept his mouth shut in story meetings.

"For the first year I worked there," he noted, "I said about 20 words. 'When do you need it,' 'I'm all over it,' and 'I'll see you later.'"

His formula worked, and today Olmstead has moved up the ladder, this year working on 12 of the 20 NYPD episodes.

While nothing in his college career prepared him for the realities of Hollywood, he did credit his experience in Lynn Elliott's creative writing class and as a journalist for The Orion as helping him hone his writing skills. He's used his Chico roots to name characters, and the Towne Lounge is often mentioned on the show.

"Creatively, I feel I've been given all I can carry," he added, about a schedule that includes a monthly round of brainstorming scripts, writing, meetings, and being on the set for filming.

Generous with hopeful writers in the audience, he finished with a bit of inspiration. "Take the chance, use your ambition, let the goal lead where it leads," he said. "That's how I got here."